Icon (Paradise Lost album)

Icon is the fourth studio album by British heavy metal band Paradise Lost, released in 1993. It marked a departure from the death-doom sound of their early work, and was the last album to feature Matthew Archer on drums.

Icon
Studio album by
Paradise Lost
Released28 September 1993
RecordedJune–July 1993
StudioJacobs Studios, Surrey, England, and Townhouse Studios
Genre
Length50:32
LabelMusic for Nations
ProducerSimon Efemey
Paradise Lost chronology
Shades of God
(1992)		 Icon
(1993)		 Draconian Times
(1995)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[1]
Metal Storm(9.8/10)[2]
Rock Hard(10/10)[3]

In February 2018, Icon was inducted into the Decibel Magazine Hall of Fame, becoming the second Paradise Lost album to be featured in the Decibel Hall of Fame (alongside Gothic), with the magazine naming it influential to the development of the gothic metal subgenre.[4]

Style

In 2008, speaking to Kerrang! about the album's music, Nick Holmes remembered:

"We were pretty much the first band to coin the phrase 'gothic metal' so I don't have a problem with that label. We've actually done gothier albums than Icon, but if people want to say that it sums up something that's fine with me. At the time there was also black metal, thrash metal and everyone wanted to describe what type of something was so we went 'Okay, we've got The Sisters of Mercy elements in our music, let's call it goth metal'. We were getting better as musicians as well and I was hopefully getting better as a vocalist. When that happens you want to fine-tune what you're doing. It's also about not wanting to get stuck or pigeonholed into one particular musical place. We've kept the whole gothic thing going right throughout our career, but we did want to do something a little different. With the vocals, a lot of it was kind of shouting in key as opposed to just shouting, it's okay singing like Beelzebub, but your voice can get into trouble if you have a big tour."[5]

Track listing

All songs written by Nick Holmes and Gregor Mackintosh.

No.TitleLength
1."Embers Fire"4:44
2."Remembrance"3:26
3."Forging Sympathy"4:44
4."Joys of the Emptiness"3:29
5."Dying Freedom"3:44
6."Widow"3:04
7."Colossal Rains"4:36
8."Weeping Words"3:51
9."Poison"3:00
10."True Belief"4:30
11."Shallow Seasons"4:55
12."Christendom"4:31
13."Deus Misereatur" (instrumental)1:58
Total length:50:32
2007 re-release bonus tracks
No.TitleLength
14."Sweetness"5:34
15."Your Hand in Mine"6:40
Total length:62:46

Icon 30
Icon 30
Studio album by
Paradise Lost
Released1 December 2023
Recorded2023
StudioArda Recorders (vocals and drums)
Black Planet Studios (guitars and bass)
Genre
LabelNuclear Blast
ProducerJaime Gomez Arellano
Paradise Lost chronology
Obsidian
(2020)		 Icon 30
(2023)

Icon 30, a full re-recording of Icon, will be released on 1 December 2023, on double vinyl with brand-new artwork, produced by Jaime Gomez Arellano. Vocals and drums were recorded in Arda Recorders in Porto, Portugal, while guitars and bass were recorded in Black Planet Studios, owned by guitarist Gregor Mackintosh. Vocalist Nick Holmes explained, "Our specific record deal around the time we signed for the Icon album meant we would never actually own the rights to our music or artwork, so going forward, to reissue the album ourselves for the 30th anniversary, it was necessary to re-record and completely re-do the album cover." The band will tour the UK in support of the album with My Dying Bride as special guests.[6]

All songs written by Nick Holmes and Gregor Mackintosh.

Icon 30 track listing
No.TitleLength
1."Embers Fire" 
2."Remembrance" 
3."Forging Sympathy" 
4."Joys of the Emptiness" 
5."Dying Freedom" 
6."Widow" 
7."Colossal Rains" 
8."Weeping Words" 
9."Poison" 
10."True Belief" 
11."Shallow Seasons" 
12."Christendom" 
13."Deus Misereatur" (instrumental) 

Personnel
  • Nick Holmes – vocals
  • Gregor Mackintosh – guitars
  • Aaron Aedy – guitars
  • Stephen Edmondson – bass
  • Matthew Archer – drums
  • Guido Zima Montanarini – drums (Icon 30)

Guest musicians
  • Denise Bernard – female vocals
  • Andrew Holdsworth – keyboards

Production
  • Matt Anker – photography
  • Geoff Pesche – mastering
  • Pete Coleman – mixing
  • Simon Efemey – producer, mixing
  • Jaime Gomez Arellano – producer (Icon 30)

Charts
Chart (1993) Peak
position
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[7] 80
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[8] 31

References
  1. Anderson, Christopher. Paradise Lost - Icon at AllMusic. Retrieved 7 June 2011.
  2. Deadmeat --->Icon review. Metal Storm Retrieved on 29 April 2012.
  3. "PARADISE LOST - Icon". Rock Hard. Retrieved 9 April 2021.
  4. Dick, Chris. "Paradise Lost - "Icon"". Decibel. Retrieved 11 May 2018.
  5. Paul Travers, Kerrang! #1225, August 30, 2008. Treasure Chest. An Intimate Portrait of a Life in Rock. Nick Holmes. P. 54
  6. "Paradise Lost reveal new artwork for 'Icon 30' Vinyl release". Metal Planet Music. 28 July 2023. Retrieved 8 August 2023.
  7. "Dutchcharts.nl – Paradise Lost – Icon" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 26 November 2014.
  8. "Officialcharts.de – Paradise Lost – Icon". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 26 November 2014.
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